The grilling or barbecuing of meats or other foods on an outdoor grill is an art mastered by few. The correct combination of taste and appearance is seldom attained by even the most accomplished outdoor chef. In an effort to facilitate the barbecuing procedure, many attempts have been made to improve barbecue grills and the briquettes utilized therewith. For example, gas and electric grills with permanent briquettes have recently begun to replace many conventional grills which use combustible charcoal briquettes. Although the technologically innovative gas and electric grills are extremely convenient to cook on, the permanent briquettes associated therewith, unlike conventional briquettes, do not contain a combustible carbonaceous material such as charcoal or wood and hence do not impart a natural charcoal or wood flavor to the meat or other food being cooked. This natural flavor is highly desirable to the discerning backyard chef.
One endeavor to impart flavor to food being cooked on a gas grill is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,052. Aluminum briquettes having liquid-retaining channels or pits are described which allow fat and juices of food being cooked to form a char on the surface of the briquettes so as to transmit flavorized vapors to the food being cooked. Unfortunately, the char layer is often difficult to produce and the amount of flavor transmitted to the food is difficult to control and generally inadequate when contrasted to flavor imparted by charcoal briquettes.
It is also known to place wood chips or the like into a bed of burning briquettes (charcoal or permanent) so as to produce smoke vapors which will impart a smoky flavor to the food being cooked. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,338,640. The wood chips, usually made of hickory or oak, tend to burn unevenly and initially produce an overabundance of smoke and little to no smoke in the latter stages of cooking. The chips also have a tendency to produce unwanted flaming which can burn the food being cooked. U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,653 describes a method of treating these wood chips with a combustion inhibiting solution so as to control the flaming and smoke emission rate of the chips. This method suffers from the fact that potentially hazardous chemicals are added to the chips which may be emitted later during the cooking process so as to contaminate the food being cooked.
Another method for producing wood smoke is explained in U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,677. This technique comprises placing a bed of wood flour between the heat source and the food being cooked so that the wood flour will smolder and emit smoke and vapor which is absorbed by the food. This method is disadvantageous in that the smoke is usually concentrated in one area of the grill and therefore does not provide for even flavoring of the food. Furthermore, the smoke produced from wood flour tends to impart a harsh or bitter flavor to the food being cooked thereover.
A need therefore exists for a permanent briquette which imparts wood-like flavor to food being cooked on gas and electric grills and overcomes the deficiencies of the above methods and devices.